As designers take on new problems of convergence and ubiquity, we find ourselves facing new challenges. The products we create are accessed through multiple devices, different channels and a wide audience. How do we accommodate the context of use?

Whether you design mobile apps, services or web experiences, you know that people have different needs and desires. Those issues are complicated further by a landscape of technology.

This discussion highlights new challenges and offers solutions based on years of design experience. Context is the situation people are in when using products. These can be based on context, time, or the circumstances when the user is using the product. What should we be aware of when designing for Context?

Time

Designing interactions for different lengths or instances of time.People are doing other things while using your products. They are also turning your product off (or not using it) and then doing other things in the “real world” and then later they come back to it (in-progress tasks).

Right “now” is an important time in which it is the best time to survey someone in how they are using your product, and what they’re doing while using it.

The context of time can change. For instance, what are the things that have to happen when you pull out your phone in a grocery line real quick compared to the things you have to do when you have hours to do something? What things are possible? What things are not possible?

Platform

Prioritizing one platform (such as developing a beautiful app on the iPad) and then making the other devices and website carry through the beautiful aspects of it.

Location

How do we accommodate and embrace various locations? If you’re designing an app that is used when you’re outside, make sure it isn’t dark as it’s hard to see with sunlight.

Form & Technology

What about screen size, input methods, technical constraints? Intuit has their app SnapTax which allows you to take a photo of your W2 and it automatically populates the fields of your W2.

Brand and Relationships.

How you feel about a brand is going to affect how you feel about their products and services. What have we learned? If you’re going to extend your existing product, make sure you break out the pieces of the product you really want and what are most important (1:1 mapping). You have to do the research, design well, and understand your audience. Adopt a service design mentality to understand where people are intersecting on common needs.

Exposing the matrix

What do we know when we add and look at all the aspects? Well, just matrix those ideas out to find what works best. Use research that doesn’t take a lot of time or money.

Do you believe the geek shall inherit the earth? Technology is changing our world and geeks are reaping the benefits. This innovation is built on a foundation of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). This session addressed how can we get kids excited about math, make science cool and inspire kids to pursue careers in STEM. We need to cultivate innovation among youth to inspire them to develop STEM skills to be the problem solvers of the future.

We must focus on the long term to work on young people to go into STEM. Science and technology is more and more part of being a citizen. Companies, mentors, non-profits and government need to get involved.

- 80% of jobs in the next deacde will use math and science.
- Over 60% of middle school kids would rather take out the rubbish than do their math and science homework.

Unique ways to connect kids to STEM and explore how to cultivate innovative thinking from youth:- Kids need to learn how to collaborate and innovate in the classroom. Hands on practical experience. - Don’t tell students what they can’t do- Don’t lecture about technology do it first, get hands on and make it fun. For example, developing Robots like FIRST team.- First team has 6 weeks to build a fully functional robot, produce a business plan and a plan on how to grow the business unit for the future.- Role of the mentor is technical and making the team of students work together.- After school STEM activities are very valuable. An example of this is Connect a Million Minds (CAMM).- If you want to get involved, Go to a FIRST event. USFirst.com

Allison Rich, Senior at Anderson High School in Austin TX has chosen to pursue a career in engineering after becoming involved in FIRST. Here is the robot that Allison and her team developed. It is awesome

How can you encourage and facilitate innovation across your teams to come up with the best product? They suggest a great innovation principle called “Visiontyping,” which promotes powerful collaboration across the board and propels creativity that can deliver big ideas and breakthroughs. This panel discusses how applying a process of creative exploration - much like the "concept car" style of prototyping - can inspire and hone the vision of your product, allowing you to unleash the best of the best.

Vision types can be used for a product, function, or even a company/organization’s future direction. For example, a company could go with strategic decision 1 or 2. If you have a vision type for each strategic decision, it can help more clearly define and shed light on each path.

Vision types will help teams understand what they need to be focused on and will lead to a prototype. It is best to start a vision type with a cross function team, outside the regular product cycle. This will help provide more focus and a greater route to success.

The creative cycle could be anywhere from 2 hours to 2 weeks. It can consist of a series of methodologies of interviews, presentations, drawings, discussions, competitive analysis, and final document/presentation. You want to get all the input and ideas out at once, to clean up the priorities.

The measurement of success should be defined by the team because they may not fit into the current measurements of success by the current organization or company.

To get executive support, define the problems you are trying to solve and come in with a solution. Promote the idea/concept, demonstrate value and create a buzz within the organization or company.

Successful companies that use vision types are Apple, Ebay..companies that have a sandbox.

Check out developerWorks Rational Focal Point resources for managing ideas, projects and portfolios.

I tired to attend this 9:30 AM session, but by 9:25 AM, the room was full and there was a 50 person waiting list to get in.

Below is part of the description. If you got to attend, leave some highlights in the comment fields. I would love to know highlights on what was said.

I greatly appreciate it

Session overview snippet

Brad McCarty, the North American editor of The Next Web, will give a 10 minute
long, rapid-fire presentation on what he believes are the most important 3
changes in social marketing. Understanding what's said in these ten minutes
could shape your marketing strategy for the next 12 months.

Brad's assertions won't go unchallenged, after his presentation, 4
award-winning marketing leaders will discuss Brad's point; debating and
discussing how each item affects marketers and business owners like you.